Mary Keys Gibson Scholarship

 
 

We believe one of the most important solutions for problems our black mothers and babies facing the lack of qualified black midwives. Therefore we created the “Mary Keys Gibson” Scholarship. It is our hope that more women of color choose midwifery as a career path. Therefore we are contributing a $3500 annual scholarship to a nurse-midwife of color as well as a guaranteed opportunity to attend your clinical practicum with either Fort Worth Birthing & Wellness Center or a Midwife+Co location.

Mary Keys Gibson (also Gipson, 1854–1952) was an American nurse who helped desegregate nursing as a profession. Gibson, a former enslaved person, worked as a midwife for many years and later earned her nursing degree in 1907 at age 53. Gibson was the first African American to earn an accredited nursing degree in the Southern United States.

We also believe that Mary Keys Gibson attended many births in Fort Worth’s “Southside” community which is where FWBC is currently located. How cool is that?

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Scholarship Details

 
 
 
 

To enter submit the following form

Once you submit the form, you will receive more details about the scholarship application process.

Mary Keys Gibson was an enslaved person, born in Mississippi in 1854. As a young person, she was asked to tend to the sick and injured on the plantation where she was enslaved. After the Civil War, she and her family moved to Sherman, Texas. After meeting her husband, Reverend Franklin Gibson, the couple moved from Sherman to Fort Worth in 1872. Together, they helped found what became the Carter Metropolitan Church. Mary Keys Gibson worked for many years as a midwife, before her husband encouraged her to pursue a degree in nursing.

Gibson attended the Chautauqua School of Nursing, a correspondence school, because segregated schools in Texas did not offer degrees in nursing at the time. When she graduated at age 53 in 1907, she became the first African American person in the Southern United States to earn an accredited nursing certificate. In 1909, she lobbied the Texas Legislature to pass educational and licensing standards for nursing. Gibson continued to work toward desegregating nursing as a profession. She was involved in 1948 to help desegregate the American Nurses Association. American Nurses

Gibson died in 1952 at the age of 98.

 

Applications will be open January 1st, 2026 through February 28, 2026. Late entries will not be accepted.

  • Award Amount $3500

  • Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited Certified Nurse-Midwifery Program

  • Applicants must be Texas Residents

  • Applicants may enter once per academic year

  • The applications will be open from January 1st through February 28th

  • The candidate must be a person of color planning to build a career in midwifery

  • Must be enrolled and in good standing with an accredited nurse-midwifery program

  • Must submit a one page essay detailing your passion for midwifery

  • Winners will be announced on April 3rd, 2026 and awarded at the MOCC (Midwives of Color Coalition) Soiree held in April of 2026

  • Winners will also receive a paid admission to the CTCNM Summit

  • Scholarship winners will also have the opportunity to secure a clinical site with either The Fort Worth Birthing & Wellness Center or Midwife+Co